Think about this one; instead of buying stamped out silver dinnerware that anyone can buy at store, why not give the engaged couple a set of custom steak knives? They won’t trade it in for something else they like better (at least I hope not).

Here is a photo showing the Knives with the “Gold Bar” carved block removed. Each knife sits in it’s own cradle, with the blade being protected. The interior of the box is lined with a rustic brown, heavy cowhide to match the refined rustic feel of the design.

Project Story:I blogged about this project, so I won’t repeat all of the story here. These 18 knives have been built as a collectible set of steak knives for a customer in Las Vegas. I was able to get the project through an interior design firm that heard about my work through another set of artists, saddle makers Loren & Lisa Skyhorse of Durango, CO. They are working on this project design also. I met them at the Western Design Conference show last year in September, 2006, as their display area was beside mine.

The handles are Elk Tine antlers, all from shed antlers from an elk ranch that friends of mine own here in the Kansas Flinthills. You can read more about these folks in my blog on my Scrimshaw Art Journey, the link to that article is shown below.

I had a huge pile of antlers to look through for this project thanks to Larry & Nancy, but still, finding 18 handles that matched in color, size, shape, curve, etc., was a chore, mainly because I am pretty picky. So, I had to cut up a bunch of antlers to do it.

Now, I’m looking for ways to use up an elk antler with a tine, or two cut off. Any ideas? Let me know. There has to be some way to use them. I’m thinking about a refined rustic Maloof-Inspired rocking chair with elk antler arms, but just a thought at this point. Guess you wouldn’t call it a Maloof with that significant change.

Back to the Story:

The blade blanks are a 33 layer damascus style stainless steel that I purchased. Over in the blog, several kind folks asked if I made the damascus. I did not. I have to adapt the purchased blades to my project, but the steel making and forging process was done by others.

I tried that about 8-9 years back, and had some success with making steel knives. However, at the first show where I took my knives, people would not buy them, because they didn’t trust my background in blacksmithing. I found that in expensive art-knives, folks were as concerned about the look of the knife as much as the quality of the blade material. Since then, I have purchased the damascus blade blanks from bladesmiths who have an international reputation for making great steel. This particular damascus stainless steel is made in Japan is sold as the finest quality cutlery steel available. Just my type for this project, and the client agreed.

The inlay work is elephant ivory, (legal pre-ban material) and turquoise. I buy my ivory from only one reliable source, the David Warther Museum in Ohio. He provides me with an Affidavit of Origin for the ivory, and then I give a copy of that document to the customer.

Elephant ivory that was obtained pre-ban is legal to own in the U.S.A., but transporting it outside of the country is prohibited. I prefer to scrimshaw on elephant ivory.

The display box is natural edged walnut, inspired by the work I did last year in the “Nakashima-Inspired” styling. I remember reading in Sam Maloof’s autobiography about how he uses walnut sapwood as an accent color. I appreciate that the Nakashimas and Mr. Maloof gave me a vision for a way to use the walnut in it’s natural state. I like it much better than the plain walnut boxes I used to make years ago. I shudder to think how many sticks of sap wood I cut off of walnut in year’s past to get rid of it. There are folks that actually try to use it and stain it to look like heart wood. Not me, at least not anymore.

Finish on the box is Deft Oil, followed by a couple dozen coats of hand rubbed out lacquer.

I used a small ball peen hammer to carefully crush up some turquoise to inlay in the knots of the wood. I searched through a whole pile of walnut in my barn to find the perfect boards to use, with just the right knot, of the right size, in the right location. I could buy the crushed stone from several suppliers, but I prefer to do it myself so that I know the quality and color of the material, and I can make the little chips the size I want.

The interior design for this dining room is refined rustic, with a Western, or Mountain theme. After hearing the description of the entire room, and all of the work being done by other artisans to bring the room together, I would love to see it all in place. To be blunt, I doubt anyone will even notice my knives. It is that impressive. Pretty cool.

The carved wood “Gold Bar” board is walnut, with the letters carved in a raised style, that is typical of the other lettering I have done on many of my furniture projects. This wood bar is held down by two little knobs that I made out of the antler material, and it holds the knives down in position while transporting the box. This box design took a lot of head scratching, and some important ideas from my Wife.

This was a lot of fun to build, although time consuming. The schedule was rushed, and so I had to work more hours per work week than I ever have before. Still, I was able to get them shipped to Las Vegas two days ahead of schedule. Now, I’m resting, and letting my tendonitis in my right elbow relax a little. Knife making is an absolute blast, but it is also a dangerous job. Polishing knives and working with sharp knives when your tired is a receipe for disaster. I am glad to have finished up this project with only three minor cuts, just requiring small bandaids. Whew.

Next on the list, is another set of 12 knives that this customer ordered as a Christmas Gift for one of their close friends. I’ll be back in another couple of weeks with that project, another tight schedule. I love getting new work, so I’m not complaining.

I hope this is the start of a long history of collectible steak knife projects.

(Note: All photos, project design, and text is protected by copyright 2007-2012 by the author M.A. DeCou, all rights reserved, no unauthorized use of this material in whole, or part is allowed without expressed written permission.)

Well, I happened to be in the house when you posted this. Nice work, Mark. I’m sure the client will be impresssed. And….,. you got it done by the deadline. That alone will get you more work. That is a lot of horn to work. I too prefer elephant ivory. I like the damascus steel. I really sets off the work you have done. Well done.